News & Public Affairs

Despite a lack of rain and continuing drought-like conditions in Tampa, the City Council today nearly overturned its prohibition on lawn irrigation. That bid failed, but the Council did vote to have the cityâs Water Department study the issue and come back in two weeks, where they will vote again on possibly changing the ban.

New rules implemented a month ago ban lawn sprinkling in the city, the toughest restrictions in the bay area, if not the entire state.

Welcome to Radioactivityâ¦ Iâm Rob Loreiâ¦ Coming up, weâll talk with a Tampa Tribune reporter whoâs written about the biggest water users in southwest Florida. They are not homeownersâbut some of the biggest industries in Florida.

But first. some listener comments about last Thursdayâs show on which we talked about the ties between factory farming and the outbreak of swine flu.

When the Southwest Florida Water Management District (Swiftmud) adopted modified Phase III water restrictions in December, it required Tampa Bay Water to hold a drought summit âto explore additional conservation options.â The Regional Water Shortage Management Workshop was held this morning at the Tampa Convention Center.

Tampa Bay Water is the regionâs wholesale distributor to water utilities in Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas counties. It brought...

Less than 24 hours before Tampaâs new radical water conservation law is to go into effect, two City Council members changed their minds on the matter, nearly thwarting it from becoming law. But the proposal to reverse their original ruling did not gain a majority, and the ban will begin as scheduled on Friday.

Two weeks ago, Council members, on a 5-1 vote, decided to ban all lawn sprinkling in the city to contend with the current drought conditions plaguing the city. Thatâs more rest...

In Brooksville this morning, the governing board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District, or SWFWMD, enacted slightly tougher water restrictions. But during this severe drought, these âmodified Phase IVâ restrictions donât go as far as the recently agreed upon City of Tampa restrictions because they still allowing drinking water to be used to water lawns.

As part of our International Women's Day celebration, Dr. Maya Trotz, a research fellow with the USF and Patel Global Institute, talked about the importance of clean and potable water not only in her native country of Guayana but also here in the Tampa community. She discussed her research and work with various student groups from grade-school students through post-doctoral fellows at USF.

Pressure by a number of environmental groups, members with the
Southwest Florida Water Management District, or Swiftmud, agreed today to take a controversial land swap off their consent agenda to allow for a public hearing.

Members of the Gulf Coast Conservancy, Sierra Club Florida, Defenders of Wildlife, the Environmental Alliance of North Florida, the Gulf Restoration Network, and the Hernando Audubon Society plan on attending Tuesdayâs meeting to speak about the proposed land swap b...

Florida is in the midst of a severe drought, which has led to major restrictions on water use. In response, St. Petersburg City Council member Karl Nurse announced this morning that he is requesting that the city examine landscaping on property it owns and, where appropriate, replace St. Augustine grass with landscaping that is Florida Friendly.

âAnd the logic of that is twofold. One, it will save money because the maintenance is radically reduc...

At todayâs Hillsborough County Commission meeting, the Board decided to temporarily halt enforcement of residential backflow prevention violations. Eight Sun City Center residents spoke in favor of the county suspending enforcement.

Many of the residents who spoke had received notices of violation because they do not have backflow valves that prevent the lake water they pump for irrigation from contaminating the drinking water supply. Expensive backflow pumps are required, even at houses...